The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Um, 1 billion percent? That's definitely a bug. And one that either doesn't exist in the PC version or it's rather difficult to duplicate. I've played the game for almost 240 hours now and I've never seen anything that ridiculous.

"My sexuality's not the most interesting thing about me."— Cosima Niehaus, Orphan Black, "Governed By Sound Reason and True Religion"

Just how do you handle the random fight when crossing terrain? You're on your way from one place to another, running along merrily. You're not cautiously inching your way through a dungeon being a sneak-thief. What to you do then when you encounter a random monster not meant for your level?

I've never used stealth. But then, my character is a mix mage/fighter (mostly the latter). In the early parts of the game (under level 15), I never encountered many difficulties unless I left the general Whiterun area. The game is really designed for you to hang around there and do all the quests in that town until you've gotten some levels and nice perks. At that point, you can move on (in my case, to Winterhold).

I don't know what enTranced does but I often stay hidden unless I need to move faster. I also make frequent use of Aura Whisper and Detect Life so that I'm always a step ahead of my enemies.

I don't have Aura Whisper or Detect Life yet as I am a baby thief. However I am 11th level and I have the full movement and reduced noise perks on the sneak tree so I can sneak at full speed with almost no noise.

Also I have started picking up the light armor perks so my leathers are offering great protection if the big bads notice me so I can RUN AWAY!!!!! while taking my lumps.

Um, 1 billion percent? That's definitely a bug. And one that either doesn't exist in the PC version or it's rather difficult to duplicate. I've played the game for almost 240 hours now and I've never seen anything that ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure it works on all platforms, and while not difficult it's not something you're going to do by accident.

Basically, all fortification abilities are based on restoration, so if you use fortify restoration potions, you can increase other fortification effects.

So.

Get yourself some Fortify Alchemy gear, (boots, bracers, necklace and rings), then make a fortify restoration potion. Drink it.

The bug as it were, comes from the fact that equipment percentages are only checked when you equip them. so if you unequip, and then re-equip the + Alchemy armour while under effect of the restoration potion, you can then use that boost to make even better fortify restoration potions. Make one, drink one, unequip, requip, do it until bored or your numbers go negative and your game crashes.

Took me less than ten minutes of buying salt piles, Cyrodilly spadetales and Abacean Longfins in Riften, Whiterun and Solitude to have enough of them to do this. Then I built a couple of fortify enchantment and fortify smithing potions with the ridiculour percentages.

Mind you, I wouldn't reccommend this if you still want to enjoy the games challenge, but if like me after beating a game, you want to break it over your knee like a cheap piece of cardboard, then go for it.

Defy Gravity!

The Doctor: The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles... and that's a theory. Nine hundred years and I've never seen one yet, but this will do me.

I don't know what enTranced does but I often stay hidden unless I need to move faster. I also make frequent use of Aura Whisper and Detect Life so that I'm always a step ahead of my enemies.

I don't have Aura Whisper or Detect Life yet as I am a baby thief. However I am 11th level and I have the full movement and reduced noise perks on the sneak tree so I can sneak at full speed with almost no noise.

Also I have started picking up the light armor perks so my leathers are offering great protection if the big bads notice me so I can RUN AWAY!!!!! while taking my lumps.

enTranced

Consider picking up muffle too. It's easy to boost in cities, and once it hits level 50, you can get a perk that makes spellcasting silent.

So sneak into a room, Fire your silent fireball, watch the goons run around in confusion trying to find you, laugh at them, profit!

Defy Gravity!

The Doctor: The universe is big. It's vast and complicated and ridiculous and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles... and that's a theory. Nine hundred years and I've never seen one yet, but this will do me.

[...] I never encountered many difficulties unless I left the general Whiterun area. The game is really designed for you to hang around there and do all the quests in that town until you've gotten some levels and nice perks.

Any idea how far out the "general Whiterun area" goes? I'm looking at a quest right now (getting the Grey-Mane dude out of prison) and the prison seems awfully far away. This thread has made me nervous about making that hike.

- Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me. (Matthew 25:40)

- Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:3)

[...] I never encountered many difficulties unless I left the general Whiterun area. The game is really designed for you to hang around there and do all the quests in that town until you've gotten some levels and nice perks.

Any idea how far out the "general Whiterun area" goes? I'm looking at a quest right now (getting the Grey-Mane dude out of prison) and the prison seems awfully far away. This thread has made me nervous about making that hike.

I have that quest hanging out there as well and i am a little nervous about it since I am now having a VERY challenging mission for the Companion "Wanna be a Werewolf?" quest and I was just fine using my typical Lurk and POUNCE! strategy. But the Silver Blade boss Skinner is NASTY. I am going to have to really crank out my buffs and potions to get through the fight with him. He even wreaks poor Lydia which is horrifying since Talia's normal strategy for bosses is to pull the pin on my Lydia granade and toss her at the bad guys. *sob*

Any idea how far out the "general Whiterun area" goes? I'm looking at a quest right now (getting the Grey-Mane dude out of prison) and the prison seems awfully far away. This thread has made me nervous about making that hike.

I did that quest early on and got slaughtered. I went back later and completed it at level 25. If your speech is high enough, you might be able to talk your way in but I'm not sure on that. By general Whiterun, I basically mean the fields around it. Most of the Whiterun quests are doable early (although later Companion stuff does get tough, as enTranced has found out).

If in doubt, create a separate save (always a good idea, as I've mentioned several times ) and give it a try. If it's too hard, you haven't lost hours of play time and you can just continue from where you were before.

"My sexuality's not the most interesting thing about me."— Cosima Niehaus, Orphan Black, "Governed By Sound Reason and True Religion"

I have that quest hanging out there as well and i am a little nervous about it since I am now having a VERY challenging mission for the Companion "Wanna be a Werewolf?" quest and I was just fine using my typical Lurk and POUNCE! strategy. But the Silver Blade boss Skinner is NASTY. I am going to have to really crank out my buffs and potions to get through the fight with him.

Ugh, yeah, those are the fights I dread. I'm falling into the same lurk and pounce strategy. I got very comfortable with that in Fallout, and once I realized that the AI behavior is reacting in similar ways (and figured out how to use a bow ), that seems like my best bet. (Plus, sniping an entire compound of bandits and them swarming around like ants just NEVER gets old. )

NeuralClone, on 06 January 2012 - 02:06 PM, said:

If in doubt, create a separate save (always a good idea, as I've mentioned several times ) and give it a try.

Yeah, that would be the plan... but since that question about how far the Whiterun safety zone extends had come up for me a couple times, it seemed a good jumping-off-point to ask. Sometimes I miss the old Nintendo J-RPG days where you always knew the monsters would ramp up when you'd crossed a bridge into a new continent.

- Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me. (Matthew 25:40)

- Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:3)

Faendal has gone insane! As soon as I talk to him he draws the giant enchanted battle hammer (that I gave him!) and tries to kill me, saying things like "You shouldn't have done that!" and "There's no escape!"

Even so, he still follows me around, fighting off the enemies that attacks me. He's like some kind of murderous stalker! "Only I get to kill you! MUAHAHA!"

Maybe it's jealousy, since Camilla keeps trying to get me to marry her... Or maybe now that I've outfitted him with good armor and weapons, he feels he doesn't need me any more.

I'm feeling very betrayed here... Bad Faendal. I should have gone with the conceited kitten.

So, I've been playing Skyrim again recently and yeah I let a bad experience shape my perspective on the whole game. I've done a complete 180 on my initial opinion. Heh, I love this game now and I can hardly stop playing it. I've even got three characters.

Nord female, my "warrior" type character although she is fairly skilled in restoration and destruction with a little conjuration for soul trap.

Breton female, my "mage" type and honestly she's probably my main character because I've done the most quests as her. I keep her well trained in single one-handed blade and light armour for close-up fights. Enchanting is very handy for her too. Ok the initial cost of disenchanting destroying the item is high but it has its rewards later.

And my Argonian female is more of an experimental character to try out "thief/rogue" type along with the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild quests since my other characters are more heroic than that.

In addition there is a DLC coming out soon. "Dawnguard." June 26th for Xbox 360 users, I think 30 days later for other consoles. Looking forward to it.

I admit it took me a long time to beat and only did so a few weeks ago. Aside from the Soul Cairn mission which I abhorred, it was an enjoyable DLC. Basically you'll start noticing vampires attacking in the towns sometimes at night. Special 'vampire armour' and 'vampire boots' now show up on vampire bodies and they've had a few skill and cosmetic upgrades.

Basically you start out by joining the Dawnguard after seeking them out but after the first dungeon you'll get your choice to join an ancient powerful coven of vampires and become a kinda 'pure' or upgraded vampire called a Vampire Lord. It actually includes a new form to physically transform into. Or you can decline and remain with the Dawnguard as a vampire slayer. I can't attest to vampirism or vampire lord because I chose to be a Dawnguard.

Both sides provide you with some pretty nifty new weapons and armour though. The Crossbow in the Dawnguard is pretty cool. Siding with the Dawnguard will eventually give you an armoured troll as a companion if you pay 500.

While I hated the Soul Cairn part of the mission it does give you a few cool soul gem and trap benefits if you take the time there with the fissures. You also get to summon a new dragon-ally. The storyline itself is pretty interesting-particularly towards the end as it delves into the lore of the Falmer and Snow Elves.

It will take a bit of time to get through, especially if you take the time to play through the new radiant side quests and whatnot. I'd definately recommend Dawnguard as a worthwhile add-on to Skyrim.

Next up-Hearthfire. I've only done a little bit of that but that'll come later.

So now that i'm out of school and only working three days a week at the hospital, I've been playing more games to pass the time on my days off. I picked up Skyrim a couple weeks ago. I was hesitant at first, because I absolutely despised Oblivion, however after several of my friends assured me this is no Oblivion I relented and bought the game. I'm glad I did, this game improves on Oblivion in just about ever way (most notably graphics), and the game play is fun, which wasn't the case in Oblivion. One complaint I have is that the game is so big (not that this is a bad thing) that the main quest line can get lost at times. There is literally so much to do in this game that I find myself lost in what to do exactly. I'm just over 50 hours in and level 25. I really need to start focusing more on leveling my professions, and less on combat skills. Luckily enough my attacks have been powerful enough to counter any damage I take, but If I get in to a large group I have some problems. Overall I'm really happy with Bethesda and the improvements they've made over the previous installment, and looking forward to my continued adventure in Skyrim.

One question about DLC, is it worth the money? If so should I pick it up now or wait until I finish the main quest line?